


Ocean eyes

by sunshoyo



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Eremin - Freeform, Fluff, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Nature, Post Chapel Scene, Pre Shiganshina, Soft Eremin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-06-16
Packaged: 2021-02-22 21:37:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23934091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunshoyo/pseuds/sunshoyo
Summary: Eren casted him a fleeting look, every seconds passing making his tight heart goes frenzy."Armin, your eyes are so beautiful"
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Eren Yeager
Comments: 6
Kudos: 56





	1. the warm-hearted you

For Eren, the ocean is a giant lake stretched beyond the horizon. Boundless, was the word associated with it— at least that’s what he feels about Armin’s story. On a more personal level, Armin is like the ocean itself. Restless yet calm, mystic yet perceivable, gentle yet strong. Sometimes, Eren would jokingly narrow his eyes at Armin to show skepticism in his story which Armin then desperately convinces him again. Armin was like a child persuading an adult to get their way and Eren finds those features attributed to their innocent childlike and loving relationship. Because for Eren, if Armin finds solace and hope in exploring the ocean one day, then Armin _is_ his ocean and beyond.

Eren loved it when his eyes sparkled whenever he gets to talk about _fiery land of desert, melting glaciers, the vast saltwater which merchants will spend their whole lives to sell and it would still be endless._ Eren loved how Armin would hum as he cleans the stables, rub the stallion which it neighed happily and caused Armin to giggle. Eren loved how strong and reliable Armin was. When Jean was knocked off from his horse, he had rescued Jean and fend off the Titans with his blades. Despite the unstable rattling and the inarticulate cry, he held Jean protectively as Eren was somewhere… _screaming_ at the Smiling Titan.

Eren also loves how Armin stutters when Eren caught him humming that one time at the kitchen. Jean, Sasha and Connie had gone to town to buy food supplies whereas Mikasa and Historia were doing _girl stuff_ in their room.

Armin’s cheeks were dusty pink when Eren had teased him about it, and his palms just covered his entire face as he stood there with a burning face. Eren adores how Armin's first instinct was to grab on Eren’s arms and tells him to keep it a secret and he looked like a child being teased. 

“It’s just a song that I really like! Don’t tease me”, he huffed. A different demeanour from his usual calm replies.

“What? I’m not teasing you! Come on.”, Eren laughed, pulling Armin closer into his arms, holding him tighter in his embrace whereas Armin buried his face deeper into Eren’s chest. Eren was sure the evening was chilly with occasional winds from the South yet why does he feel feverish all of a sudden?

Something stirs inside Eren when Armin loops his arms around Eren’s torso. It was quiet with the singsong of birds chirping outside, flying back to their nests before sunset, and the low rustling of the dark, symmetrical pine trees around the small cottage.

“Eren.”

“Hm? Armin? What is it?”, Eren croaked. He was suddenly conscious of the way he sounded, the way he smelled or the way he looked. He’s not that sweaty as he was only cleaning the house as Captain Levi instructed, and there were no giddy Titan Experiments either and the thought assured Eren. 

“Are you ill?”, Armin looked up. His arms not leaving Eren’s as he tiptoed to press his forehead towards Eren and checked the temperature. This action prompted Eren to combust into a hopeless volcano as blood immediately rushed to his face and spread to his neck.

“Wh- what no! No! I’m alright, Armin! Don’t worry.”, he leaned back, shaking his head frantically in the process that Armin laughed. Eren looked comical.

“You don’t have to panic that much. Besides, I’m alright. I won’t fall sick easily.”, the blonde boy laid a cool palm on his forehead and the Eren’s expressions became a hazy one. 

Perhaps this is how he’ll die. By the hands of his best friend touching him and getting hot and bothered by it. It felt like the word ‘hopeless romantic and stupid’ was stamped onto his forehead at the same time. 

The door creaked and incoming footsteps were heard and both of them looked at the doorway with surprise looks,

“OH MY GOD SASHA CLOSE YOUR EYES!”

“WHAT THE HELL JAEGER?”

“WHAT?! WHAT HAPPENED”

All noises instantly shook the two from their moments and the whole house was noisy again. Sasha was still struggling to remove Connie’s hand from her eyes whereas Jean was grumbling about how inappropriate Eren was.

“Welcome back, guys! Let me help you with that…”, Armin approached them, removing himself from between Eren’s warmth. Trying to act normal but bubbling with embarrassment in the inside. 

“Oi, Armin! Are you okay? Did the idiot hurt you somewhere?”, Jean checked up on Armin. Holding his hands while throwing glances at the fuming Eren. Although fuming, he was also confused.

“Don’t worry, Jean. I’m alright. I just checked whether Eren had a fever or whatnot.”, Armin smiled, carrying the paper bags filled with vegetables, breads and other miscellaneous things required. It was light as they didn’t plan to stay here any longer than 2 nights. 

“You call that checking for symptoms? I think that’s illogical! Did you see that, Jean? ARMIN WAS BETWEEN EREN’S THIGH AND HIS ARMS SLIDING BEHIND ARMIN’S BACK!”, Conny expressed loudly causing Sasha to giggle. At the corner of her eyes, there was a glint of suggestive look that Eren swears it is giving him a headache.

Armin who heard how scandalous Conny had recounted it made his face a shade deeper. Thankfully his ears are not visible or else it would have been the laughing stock of the entire house. 

“ARE YOU GUYS STUPID? I WAS JUST SITTING ON THE TABLE WHEN ARMIN CHECKED MY TEMPERATURE OKAY! H-HE STOOD THERE SO I CAN STABILIZE MYSELF!”, Eren grunted in exasperation. His voice almost like a roar and this only made the other two clowns laugh in unison.

Jean only shook his head and had started to prepare for dinner. The longer he listens to the three banters, the tighter his grip towards the sponge that he tackled Connie and Sasha to quiet down. 

“If you’re sick, go rest and if you’re feeling decent, help me cut the potatoes and the chicken.”, Jean instructed and shut everyone up and they immediately buzzed into work. 

Just right after the sun had disappeared from the sky, and the lucid moon emerged from the veil of the night, 3 side dishes were fully served. Dinner was chaotic as usual and Eren kept stealing glances at Armin and Armin avoided it fully. Both concentrating on not making any more possible tease by the others. Mikasa. Well, Mikasa noticed it and sips her tea quietly.

Once they have settled into the crook of their room, both were finally capable of breathing freely. Eren then finds it a bit awkward as he reminisced what happened this evening. It felt intimate and domestic in some sense. His eyes wandered to the blonde across the room. His body flinched when Armin casually looked back and Eren almost wanted to fall hard from his bed so he would just cease from existence.

_Why was he embarrassed anyway?_

_For God’s sake, Armin is his best friend!_

“Well, Armin.”, Eren settled down and patted his pillow before lying down. Armin who was standing by the small closet peeked, their beds across each other. His back is facing Eren’s and yet his eyes still linger at the sweet skin of his. 

“Are you alright?”, Eren sighed. His body comfortably resting on the soft mattress and the longer he stared at the ceiling, the more he fell into idle sleepiness. He couldn’t hear any reply from Armin and nodded before fully succumbing to slumber.   
  



	2. the warm daybreak, with you in my arms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus of this chapter: 1) eren and armin sharing a bed together oh my *gasp*
> 
> 2) sun kissed eren.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intend to portray the tiny meaningful moments between them and elevate their pining for each other. In this chapter, I specifically highlighted Armin’s POV because his kindness and affection goes extra mile for Eren. 
> 
> I promise we’ll go to confession scene next chapter!

Hot. Sweaty.

It’s so stuffy in the room and Eren could feel the icky sweat dripping down his back and he internally cringed. His thumb played at the hem of his shirt was lifted up and stopped halfway at his chest, there was  _ something _ .

Eren’s eyelids opened and slowly adjusted to the darkness of the room. Only the dim light of candles seeping from his doorstep illumes his sight. Upon seeing  _ who _ restrained him from inching any further caused Eren to sober fully. 

Armin was so soft and peaceful that Eren felt guilty to make any noise. He wanted to shake Armin off from his bed, tell him to move away to cool himself but he finds the thought a bit distasteful. 

His hands first lingered at Armin’s shoulders and then stopped, Armin’s face relaxed more and he looked like a cat nuzzling to a warm yarn ball. Eren’s face softened at that and he rubbed his arms affectionately instead. Perhaps, he doesn’t mind a meagre space after all.

The longer he stared at Armin, the more his heart wrenches.

How long has it been since they fled Shiganshina together?

Under the glinting luna, traces of silver lining casted itself and made Armin glimmer with holy light and lonesome nightingale. 

Everything crashed into Eren that moment. Armin was someone valuable to Eren. Valuable would be an understatement because he would die for Armin. Wait, he already did.

“Armin. We will go back to Shiganshina together. We must. We will.”, Eren said willfully, brimming with confidence. The hardening experiment was going well with Hange Squad and it’s only a matter of time before they commence the retake of Wall Maria.

With great power comes great responsibility. His scope of concern used to focus solely on Mikasa, Armin, returning to their lost home and revenge against the Titans. But, now…

The weight of lives, humanity’s thriving fate, society’s dependence towards him was causing Eren to gravitate slowly into a dark and limitless cave, with only a lamplight as the guide. One step always brought him to new predicaments and with that discovery, it brought him more pain. 

“Why are you breathing so hard, Eren?”, cold hands then laid flat on his chest. The pectorals shuddering as if in rhyme with the violent flashbacks of what they have been through for the past months. Eren’s jade eyes shined, with some tears at the corner of it. His lips frowned and his expressions were a far cry from his assured one earlier. 

“I just.”, his trembling fingers wiped off the tears, biting down his lips until a metallic taste was at the tip of his tongue. 

Armin frowned and buried his own fingers in Eren’s tousled brunette locks, finding tiny comfort in the process. Funny, it should be Eren who must be tended to but Armin couldn’t help but relish in the feelings of being close to him like this.

“I don’t know, Armin. It’s just me feeling a bit hot in the room and uncomfortable. That’s all.”, Eren chuckled. Chest vibrating with low laughter and rubbed his entire face. 

Armin knew. Yet, it’s like an unspeakable truth between them. He couldn’t offer anything else and moved his hands to cup Eren’s face instead. His thumb swiping the crease on his eyebrows, his dainty cheekbones, his sharp nose, his lips and then his jaw. Armin didn’t utter nor whisper anything throughout the process and it caused Eren to dissolve into vulnerability.

“You don’t have to be strong all the time.”, Armin whispered. 

Armin’s touch ignited something and caused a rush of adrenaline in Eren’s body. His touch then became one that tried to lull Eren to sleep and therapeutically gentle.

This is definitely best friends things right? Hugging each other to sleep, whispering intimately, finding comfort in their embrace, wanting to kiss them on the lip—

“Thank you.”, Eren smiled, snuggling deeper into Armin’s comfort.

The cold wind howled and rattled the glass windows, as if wandering spirits were knocking to seek shelter from the approaching dawnbreak. Only when the sun started to peek between the valleys did Armin felt sleepy.

His vision filled with sun kissed skin Eren, the tranquility they shared during nightfall were slowly filled with the rooster’s clucking, the steps from outside indicating the other soldiers were awake too. 

Armin wished they could stay like this forever. Away from the world’s controversy and violence, draped in each other and tucked away in a small room while whispering sweet nothings into their ears. 

Until the day where they reach victory, Armin wishes they could witness another daybreak. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My twitter is: @yuzushimmer  
> I mostly talk about tgcf, haikyuu, hxh and ofc AOT!!!

**Author's Note:**

> and they were roommates  
> Hange: oh my gOD they were RoomMATES—


End file.
